Federal officials probing Waymo after robotaxi goes around stopped school bus

Federal officials are investigating about 2,000 Waymo robotaxis after one reportedly drove around a stopped school bus.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it began the probe Friday following media reports that a Waymo robotaxi went around the bus in Atlanta on Sept. 22.

The autonomous vehicle, which did not have a human operator inside, came at the bus from a perpendicular side street.

The vehicle stopped, then turned right to avoid hitting the bus, turned left to get around the front of the bus, then turned left again and continued down the road past the left side of the bus, officials said.

Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet Inc., said “in the event referenced, the vehicle approached the school bus from an angle where the flashing lights and stop sign were not visible and drove slowly around the front of the bus before driving past it, keeping a safe distance from children,” according to Reuters.

Waymo also said it updated the software used by its fleet of vehicles. The robotaxi was using the company’s fifth-generation automated driving system.

The federal agency’s Office of Defects Investigation will determine how Waymo’s automated driving system deals with stopped school buses, what measures the system has in place to get the vehicle to comply with school bus safety laws, and the system’s ability to follow those laws.

Waymo told technology news site TechCrunch that “safety is our top priority” and that “NHTSA plays a vital role in road safety, and we will continue to work collaboratively with the agency as part of our mission to be the world’s most trusted driver.”